The Weekly 411 (8/7/26)
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| © Mel Cordan |
August 7, 2026 vol. 32
The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to Kidlit411 each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our email updates. Are you on Facebook? Join our Kidlit411 group for conversations and camaraderie. We can also be found on Bluesky. This week's illustration is by Mel Cordan.
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| cover art by Natalie Foss |
About the Book: A neglected teen travels to Norway for a fresh start in this “lush…aching” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) coming-of-age novel in verse about longing, love, and the courage to create joy from the ashes of despair by award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Megan E. Freeman.
You are invisible in your own family. Your parents spend all their care and attention on your brother, who is addicted to drugs. Your dreams don’t matter to anyone but you. Your only ticket out is a college fund left by your grandfather—until your parents use it to pay for your brother’s drug rehab. Just when your future seems about to collapse, you are offered a lifeline: a scholarship to become an exchange student in a remote part of Norway. It’s an invitation to begin a new life in a new place with new people…a place where you might finally feel like you belong.
About the Author: Megan E. Freeman attended an elementary school where poets visited her classroom every week, and she has been a writer ever since. She writes middle grade and young adult fiction. Megan is also a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet. An award-winning teacher with decades of classroom experience, Megan taught multiple subjects across the arts and humanities to students of all ages. She divides her time between northern Colorado and the Texas Gulf Coast. Visit her online at MeganEFreeman.com.
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About the Book: Cameron is faced with a no-screens, very dreary, worst day ever. Oh, the misery! But wait ... maybe there's adventure to be found in boredom after all. When his ordinary living room transforms into the land of Boredom, Cameron wanders in a bleak landscape where everything seems terribly tedious and drowsily dull. When a mysterious, friendly monster appears, Cameron learns to celebrate the silence of a distraction-free world and to find his creative spark.
About the Author: Mariana Ellery is a Latin author who packed her Brazilian heritage and stories in a suitcase to the always-busy New York City, where she currently lives. After dedicating more than ten years to marketing, Mari embarked on a writing career in the world of children's literature. She is the author of A Color Named Love, a 2021 Fiction Picture Book Nominee at the Cybils Awards. Mari co-authored The Boredom Monster with illustrator Clara Reschke.
About the Illustrator: Clara Reschke is a Brazilian children's book author and illustrator who believes in the magic of storytelling. Her love for books began in childhood, creating picture books alongside her grandfather. Since 2019, she has brought stories to life for children in Europe, Brazil, the U.S., and China. Her work has been recognized with the 2023 Design for a Better World Award. She co-authored and illustrated The Boredom Monster, inspired by her experience parenting during the Covid-19 pandemic and watching her son's boredom turn into creativity.
Agent Business Models May Be Shifting: What I Fear Will Happen (Jane Friedman)
Aug 10 6 pm ET/ Aug. 11 8 am Australia time The Publisher's Town Hall: Australian publisher EK Publishing is holding a free town hall to talk about what it is looking for in children's books.
I love Megan Freeman's books and this one is on my wish list. The Boredom Monster sounds like the perfect bedtime reading book.
ReplyDeleteAmazing art by Mel, my agent mate, and yay to Megan my RMC-SCBWI peep!
ReplyDeleteThe otters are FABULOUS! Kudos to illustrator Mel Cordon!
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